Chapter Summaries

John battled Loki inside the frozen buildings while Odin confronted Loki over his parentage and ambitions. Loki’s attack froze Stark Tower, and John continued fighting him as Loki tried to reach the Mind Stone Scepter.

• Odin appeared before Loki, condemned him for killing Laufey, and rejected him as a son.
• Loki used the Blue Box to freeze Odin and sent a wave of cold toward Stark Tower, freezing Natasha, Selvig, and the Mind Stone Scepter inside.
• John broke free of the ice, seized the Casket of Ancient Winters, absorbed its cold, and fought Loki at close quarters.
• Loki wounded John and used an illusion to approach the Mind Stone Scepter, but John detected him and dragged him back with magic.
• After John slammed Loki into the ice repeatedly, Loki rose and shouted, "Who do you think you are!"

John revealed himself as the Wizard King, destroyed the Chitauri invasion forces around New York, and spared Loki by punishing his soul instead. With Loki incapacitated, John turned the Avengers’ attention to the still-open portal as more Chitauri arrived.

• John unleashed immense magical power, disrupting the Chitauri forces and declaring himself the Wizard King.
• John’s golden flames destroyed the Chitauri fleet and wiped out soldiers across New York.
• John refused to kill Loki because Frigga was praying for him, but he carved a mortal name into Loki’s soul and returned it to his body.
• Thor confronted John about Loki, and John told him to focus on closing the portal.
• More Chitauri poured into New York, and an order left the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. pale.

Fury stopped one nuclear bomber from taking off but failed to stop another from heading toward New York, while John subdued Loki and Natasha prepared to close the portal. The Avengers learned that a nuclear missile was approaching, leaving them to send it through the portal.

• Fury rejected the World Security Council’s order to nuke Manhattan, then destroyed one bomber with a rocket launcher but watched a second take off toward New York.
• The Ancient One fought Chitauri Soldiers and knocked Banner’s soul out of Hulk’s body when he tried to take the Eye of Agamotto.
• The Ancient One questioned Banner about the Wizard King after a lightning-wreathed owl and its rider appeared in the sky.
• John subdued Loki with a stunning spell, and Thor left to fight the Chitauri while Natasha used the Mind Stone Scepter to pierce the portal’s barrier.
• Tony warned the Avengers that a nuclear missile was approaching New York, so they decided to send it through the portal.

John recovered and sealed the Casket of Ancient Winters while recording Iron Man pushing a nuclear missile away from New York. At the New York Sanctum, the Ancient One discovered that John Wick had never appeared in Banner’s reality because Watson Wick had died, and she warned Banner that the Wizard King might be a greater threat than Thanos.

• John gathered the golden flames left by his battle with Loki and pulled the Casket of Ancient Winters from the ice surrounding it.
• John sealed the Casket’s escaping cold with a time spell and stored it in his enchanted pocket.
• John recorded Iron Man pushing a descending nuclear missile away from New York and noticed Tony appeared to be running out of power.
• The Ancient One learned from Banner that John Wick had never existed in his reality and concluded Watson Wick’s death had changed John’s fate.
• The Ancient One refused to give Banner the Time Stone, then told him to find Watson Wick’s killer, go to the Wizarding Kingdom, and warn Strange that the Wizard King was their true catastrophe.

John helped Tony send the nuclear missile through the portal, survived in space, and brought Tony back safely before the Avengers captured Loki. After the battle, John exposed a future Tony Stark and Ant-Man, leaving the time travelers unsure what world they had entered.

• John used the Levitation Charm to help Tony push the missile through the portal, then blasted Chitauri soldiers while they entered space.
• John survived the explosion unharmed and hurled the unconscious Tony back through the portal before the Avengers closed it.
• John appeared beside Tony as he fell, caught him, and used Apparition to bring him safely to the ground.
• The Avengers confronted the defeated Loki while John learned from Ivan that Ivan and the others had survived and collected alien technology.
• John caught Scott Lang, who was disguised as Ant-Man, and challenged the future Tony Stark after recognizing him.

John recognized that future Tony Stark and Scott Lang had come from another timeline to carry out the Time Heist, and he agreed to stay out of their plans in exchange for the Mind Stone Scepter. When S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived to take custody of the scepter, Steve sided with them, leaving John’s claim unresolved.

• John deduced that Tony and Scott were time travelers from another universe and understood that their actions would create a new timeline.
• Tony explained that they needed to complete the Time Heist and take the Stones, and John agreed not to interfere if he received the Mind Stone Scepter.
• John and future Tony sealed their bargain with a magical Contract, while Tony reluctantly accepted the terms.
• John took the scepter from Natasha, but Steve argued that it should go to S.H.I.E.L.D. as evidence.
• A S.H.I.E.L.D. Strike Team arrived to claim the scepter, and the tension rose as John challenged the others to support his claim.

John gave up the Mind Stone Scepter after Tony sided with S.H.I.E.L.D., then watched Alexander Pierce’s attempt to seize the Tesseract collapse amid Tony’s convulsions and Loki’s escape attempt. He left Stark Tower with the Tesseract returned to S.H.I.E.L.D., and the Avengers later regretted how he had been treated as the age of superheroes began.

• John handed the Mind Stone Scepter to Sitwell, ended his partnership with Tony, and left with Hulk while S.H.I.E.L.D. took the scepter and Tony secured the Tesseract.
• Alexander Pierce confronted the group over the Tesseract, but Tony suddenly collapsed, and a disguised operative tried to steal the case before Hulk burst through the stairwell door.
• Loki seized the Tesseract and tried to escape, but John stopped him with a snap, and the group pinned Loki down.
• John picked up the Tesseract, then tossed it to Alexander Pierce; Thor put it back in its case, and John left Stark Tower.
• The Avengers ate shawarma with John, who declined to commit to Thor’s invitation to visit Asgard before leaving, while the age of superheroes began.

John formed the Second Alliance with Matt, Ivan, Dax, and Hattie to face future threats, then negotiated with Fury over the stolen Mind Stone Scepter. After securing Pym particles and the right to keep the scepter while leasing it for research, John revealed he already had it.

• John warned Matt and the others that future disasters would surpass the alien invasion, then formed the Second Alliance with Matt, Ivan, Dax, and Hattie.
• Fury asked John to help recover the stolen Mind Stone Scepter and surrender Taran Industries' Chitauri wreckage, but John refused and showed him footage of the nuclear missile aimed at Manhattan.
• Fury offered John a sample of Pym particles and Howard Stark's replication formula in exchange for the scepter, and John agreed to recover it on the condition that it remained his.
• John told Fury he would lease the scepter for research, then revealed that a white-haired old man had already delivered it to him.

John used the Mind Stone Scepter’s energy to create a weaker, stabilized gemstone called the Finite Stone, which he set into his magical ring. After half a month of staying in his laboratory instead of helping Fury, John learned that Damage Control had begun claiming Chitauri weapons in New York.

• John tested the Mind Stone Scepter’s power and drew energy from it to expand his mental reach across Manhattan.
• John extracted energy from the scepter, froze it with the Casket of Ancient Winters, and infused it into his super magic crystal.
• John stabilized the resulting yellow gemstone with the Casket of Ancient Winters, named it the Finite Stone, and placed it in his ring.
• John continued studying the Casket of Ancient Winters and delayed fulfilling his promise to Fury, who waited for him to find the scepter.
• Damage Control, established by the government and Stark, appeared in New York and began taking possession of Chitauri weapons.

Damage Control took over the Battle of New York cleanup and threatened Adrian Toomes's livelihood, but Ferdinand called John Wick and arranged jobs for Adrian's crew at Taran Industries. The crew kept working, and Adrian returned home relieved that his family was safe.

• A Damage Control team invoked Administrative Order 396B to take over Adrian Toomes's cleanup site and demand all alien salvage.
• Adrian punched a member of the takeover team, and the agents aimed their weapons at him before the white-haired woman ordered them to lower them.
• Ferdinand arrived and called John after Damage Control ordered Taran Industries to surrender its salvage.
• John warned the white-haired woman not to obstruct Taran Industries, and she backed down after recognizing his name.
• Ferdinand offered Adrian and his crew jobs at Taran Industries, and John approved the arrangement.
• Adrian returned home and hugged his wife and daughter, relieved that his crew and family had been saved from financial ruin.

John returned the Mind Stone Scepter to S.H.I.E.L.D. and proposed using wizard magic to rebuild Manhattan. He established Silverhand Fashion Architecture, leaving wizards poised to work openly among ordinary people.

• John summoned Nick Fury and handed the dimmed Mind Stone Scepter to S.H.I.E.L.D., while teasing Sitwell about losing it.
• John showed Fury a photograph that moved and repaired a broken cup with magic, then offered to rebuild Manhattan's damaged buildings for a fee.
• Fury agreed to put John's proposal before the city government and considered wizards' help useful in the wake of the alien invasion.
• John established Silverhand Fashion Architecture, and wizard workers began repairing New York buildings and furniture with magic.
• John surveyed Manhattan and called the rebuilding effort the first step toward letting wizards live openly.

Shang-Chi struggled with nightmares after killing a robber during the Chitauri invasion, while John learned that his assistant Hattie was an MI6 agent and accepted her disclosure. John then visited Ivan’s underground lab, where they examined Chitauri technology and discussed expanding Taran Industries’ research team.

• Shang-Chi recalled beating a robber to death and feared becoming as ruthless as his father, while nightmares about Wenwu and his sister haunted him.
• John signed Taran Industries’ paperwork and agreed to slow business as the company’s finances dwindled.
• John confronted Hattie about her sunglasses and hidden identity, and Hattie revealed that she was an MI6 agent named Hattie Shaw.
• John welcomed Hattie’s honesty, while she resolved to keep making him handle his work and gave his coffee ten sugar cubes.
• Ivan showed John Chitauri weapons, hover technology, and a Purple Oval energy core, prompting John to decide to expand Taran Industries’ research team.

John oversaw Taran Industries’ expansion into Chitauri technology while Orlov warned that the company’s rapid growth was straining its finances. He helped Shang-Chi overcome guilt about killing during the invasion, then visited Peter Parker’s home, where his beach outfit and grudge left Peter in tears.

• John welcomed Adrian and the Chitauri weapons his Salvage and Cleanup Department had recovered, while Orlov reported signing new energy contracts and warned that Taran’s cash flow was stretched.
• John and Orlov visited the Taran Technology Department, where Ivan and newly transferred staff were researching Chitauri technology.
• John told Shang-Chi that he had saved people by stopping criminals and Chitauri Soldiers, easing Shang-Chi’s guilt and nightmares.
• John took the exhausted Shang-Chi to the Parker Home, where May gave John a beach outfit she had bought in Miami.
• Peter laughed at John’s outfit, and John retaliated by resetting Peter’s painstakingly built London Bridge model to piles of building blocks.

John decided to visit Pym Technologies to explore a possible partnership involving Pym Particles, then traveled with Ferdinand from New York to San Francisco. He toured the company with Darren Cross and ended by proposing a deal.

• John examined the Pym Particles and learned that Darren Cross led Pym Technologies, where John held shares.
• John ordered Ferdinand to drive him to Pym Technologies in San Francisco, and they spent a week on the road.
• John arrived at Pym Technologies and met Darren Cross and Hope van Dyne.
• Darren personally guided John through the facility, including the Future Laboratory.
• John asked Darren whether he would be interested in making a deal.

Hope watched Darren Cross court John Wick after John supplied Pym Particles and a formula, leaving her unable to reach John or decide whether to seek help from Hank Pym. After returning to New York, John arrived at Hammer Industries and found General Ross meeting with Secretary of State Root Abush, whom he recognized.

• Hope waited for John, but Darren welcomed him warmly and invited him to his winery after John gave him Pym Particles and Howard Stark's formula.
• Darren escorted John away before Hope could speak with him, while Hope remained anxious and continued to resent her father, Hank Pym.
• Ferdinand returned from his exhausting cross-country drive, and Roman offered to wash the car in exchange for a hundred dollars.
• John returned to New York and went to Hammer Industries, where Hattie told him an important visitor had come to discuss the company's future.
• John met General Ross and Secretary of State Root Abush at Hammer Industries and recognized the Secretary of State from a previous encounter.

Secretary of State Root Abush confronted John Wick over Hammer Industries being controlled by a British wizard, while John argued that alien and superhuman threats mattered more than national ownership. Tony Stark continued building armor as nightmares about the Chitauri invasion kept him from sleeping, and he hid his distress from Pepper Potts.

• Root Abush demanded that John become an American or appoint an American as Hammer Industries' president because the United States was uneasy about a foreign wizard controlling its arms supplier.
• John argued that the coming threats were aliens and powerful superheroes, not Britain or wizards, and General Ross reconsidered the importance of John's nationality.
• Root considered John's argument and prepared to make a decision about Hammer Industries.
• Tony Stark built new suits controlled by JARVIS and kept working on Mark XIII because anxiety about the Chitauri invasion disrupted his sleep.
• Pepper Potts found Tony sweating after he dozed off, but Tony claimed he was fine and concealed how badly the nightmare had affected him.

John visited Dr. Helen’s lab and saw the Regeneration Cradle successfully repair an injured mouse, then went to Tony’s home after Pepper said something seemed wrong with him. Tony hesitated when John arrived and offered help.

• Tony hid his insomnia from Pepper after she found him exercising in the lab.
• John discussed the complications of superheroes with General Ross and the secretary of state, while Hammer Industries received more orders and a request to develop upgraded Iron Soldiers.
• Orlov teased John about Dr. Helen and urged him to visit her laboratory.
• John watched Dr. Helen’s Regeneration Cradle repair an injured mouse and praised her work.
• Pepper asked John to check on Tony, so John visited Tony’s home and offered to help him.

Tony Stark confided in John about his nightmares after the alien invasion, but John urged him to worry less and exercise more. Shang-Chi outran Tony during a morning run, leaving Tony humbled and determined to get fit, while Pepper Potts welcomed his new routine for her own reasons.

• Tony told John that nightmares about another alien invasion had been keeping him from sleeping, and John reminded him that he had defeated the Chitauri and should be more concerned about Ivan's new armor.
• Tony asked John whether he was trying to armor the world, and John explained that the Department of Defense paid for the Iron Soldiers he supplied.
• John suggested that Tony go for a morning run with two kids, and the next day Shang-Chi repeatedly outran Tony while Peter also collapsed during the run.
• John told Tony to run with Peter instead, prompting Tony to go home and begin planning a fitness routine.
• Pepper Potts was pleased to see Tony exercising and improving his diet, then wore him out with her enthusiasm.

John arranged a tour of Taran Industries for Shang-Chi’s school and bought fifty kilograms of vibranium from Ulysses Klaue, paying with gold he created through alchemy. As Shang-Chi grew stronger and began secretly helping people in Queens, Fury reflected on the rise of superheroes and Coulson entered his office.

• John visited Midtown High School, and Taran Industries later invited Shang-Chi and his classmates to tour its reactor, Regeneration Cradle, and Chitauri exhibits.
• Orlov introduced John to Ulysses Klaue, who offered fifty kilograms of vibranium, and John agreed to buy it all with alchemically produced gold.
• John absorbed half the vibranium with the Limited Gauntlet and tested its power against the Destroyer, which he repaired after the test.
• John helped Shang-Chi train his inner power while Tony continued running with him, and Shang-Chi grew more committed to fighting wrongdoing.
• Shang-Chi rescued a girl from a criminal and began secretly patrolling alleys in Queens, earning a reputation as a friendly neighborhood hero.
• Fury watched a report about emerging superheroes, and Coulson entered his office.

Wilson Fisk made a deal with the FBI to trade gang information for better treatment, while John focused on training Peter and Shang-Chi. After Matt visited John, he warned that something had happened in Hell’s Kitchen.

• Wilson Fisk met FBI agents Ray and Dax, then agreed to make a deal with Ray in exchange for better treatment.
• John learned from Dax about Fisk’s deal but stayed focused on training Peter, hurling him between buildings to prepare him for swinging through the city.
• John persuaded Peter to accept the training by promising to buy the board game World-Opening: Shattered Earth, and May later confronted John about it.
• John continued putting Shang-Chi through nightly training until his vacation ended, then took both students to school on the first day.
• Matt visited John at a hotel and gravely told him that something had happened in Hell’s Kitchen.